I know I should buy a diesel but I cant afford the extra $,$$$

I'm towing with a 93 Chevy 35000 Dullay w/ a 454TBI and it sucks. It sucks towing up hills.... about 45mph, It sucks gas about 7mpg towing.

I'm looking at the new '02 Dodge Ram Ext.Cab 4X4 with 5.9L Gas with a towing capacity of 8,250lbs. Who has actually towed with one??????

Thanks

I have not towed with one but I have waited at the top of every hill for my friends who do. I have a 98 454 2500 and they have 98-99 1500 5.9 dodges. I get better mileage towing and have way way more power. One friend only pulls a ScoutII 3500lb on a 1500lb trailer. I pull a 6000lb K-5 on a 2000lb trailer and he can not keep up. The other guy pulls a K-5 and on a trip to Moab from Denver I beat him there by over an hour with him getting 6mpg and I get 9mpg. The 5.9 is gutless for its displacement:smokin:

I call BS on Butch. I've used my Dad's 01 1/2 Ton 4 door w/ 5.9L and it kicks. I'm pulling a 1500lb trailer w/ 4500lb XJ on it through the hills of KY and TN without ever dropping below the speed limit.

Easy

Okay Butch how high where the passes you went through, 5500 - 6500 FT??? All gas blocks suck at any kinda of real hill climb.

Pulled Jeep to Kremmling, CO last summer for rock crawling competition from Iowa. Couldn't maintain speed unless at WOT, and got right at 6 miles per gallon. This year we're taking a diesel.

Joebox,

Just a datapoint... the later Vortec Engines have really improved. I was using a '02 Crew Cab Chevy 6.0L gas, 2500HD, 4.11 gears (standard on 3/4 ton with 6.0 gas) last weekend up to Gilmer.

Pulled a Land Cruiser on a tow dolly. loaded with kids, camping gear, stuff. Cruiser was TALLER than the top of the cab (wind resistance).

Highway 155 is up and down. Correct lots of climbing, but not any big hills (Rockies are big hills!). For climing rockies I suspect it will still manage 6 65 (in comfort) to 70 mph!

Still I managed to keep it at 75 mph on clear stretches (when safe), but on hills it would kick down a gear bumping up to 3,000 rpm. 70 mph would have been a better cruise speed, but tried to keep the flow of traffic as to not impeed other travellers (not a lot of good passing spots on that road).

WEEKEND AVERAGE: 11 mpg . Ya, kinda of sucks... but given the weight, towing, and all around. Not bad. Oh, 2WD (Diesel & 4x4 would have added $10K to the price... heck of a lot of wheeling can be done for that). Typically it is still getting 12 to 14 mpg around town and highway. Same as my FJ40! :D

Lots of TOWING 11 mpg vs 18mpg (diesel) and $6K for the motor/tranny: Payback is around 130K miles (fuel cost alone, estimating $1.30 a gallon). Ya, diesel will have a higher resell value, yada, yada... so more like 80K miles payback. Question is how long do you plan on keeping your truck, and how much miles per year. If like me with less than 15K year, gas is fine for those occasional trips. If running cross country at 60K a year... go Diesel!!!

I'll fold the Cruiser's windshield flat for improved mileage on the next trip. Curious to see the difference in mileage. (Hmm.. Black Hill Cruiser Classic?)

Tom :usa:

I tow with my 1/2 ton 2WD Ram "Quad Cab" SWB with 360. Came with factory towing package, extra cooling, and low gear option. Pretty much stock. Towed a trailer with my wife's 97 Bonneville on it, car stuffed full (cabin and trunk), stuffed lashed on the trailer, and the bed piled full. Probably exceeded 3/4 GVWR by a fair amount. Anyway, WPB FL to Phoenix AZ in 3 days. Got pulled over doing 90 up a long (not much grade) hill in N FL on I 10. Cop actually let me off if you can believe that! Got around 10-11 mpg. on that trip. Now I tow my K30 (no body but 42 TSLs) on the same trailer. Accelerating up hills takes some patience but it does quite well once it's rolling on anything other than steep long grades. Never had any over heat problems either. All in all I'm quite satisfied.

Only one thing I'm worried about. I'm waiting on the auto to blow chunks. No problems so far, but Dodge autos don't have a good rep. I'm thinking of selling it and finding a TBI 454 Crew cab SRW SFA (K30/V30 from 87-91) for a couple of reasons. One, I'm really worried about the tranny, especially with some of the mountainous areas I want to carry the K30 into when it’s done. Two, I want full size back doors. Three, the extra grunt from a 454 would be welcome at times. And finally, four, I'm a GM guy at heart and I like the idea of spare parts all over my tow rig! :D

my working partner had a 2000 3/4 ton with 360,auto,and 4.11 gears.he sold it,it only got about 10 to 12 mpg daily driving.but it pulled very good for a gas engine,just like alot of gas.i bought a f-250 crew cab 2-wheel drive with auto tranny and i only get about 15 to 16 mpg daily driving,but man will it pull:D .but the only reason i got a deisel is i was planning on keeping it for about 10 years,until my boys get out of school,i hope...

figure in the amount you'll spend on gas and the longevity of the engine and you may be able to justify the extra money for the diesel. My new F250 PSD just hit 1000 miles and i have been getting 16-18 mpg.

-Steve

Oh, guess I should say I get around 14-15 mixed everyday driving. And 16-17 on the interstate running 75. I've even gotten 18 crossing Texas on I10 running around 65 (following a moving truck that could go no faster).

joe, have you thought of buying a used truck? new vehicles suck IMO just for the immediate drop in resale.

Originally posted by JOEBOX
I know I should buy a diesel but I cant afford the extra $,$$$

I'm towing with a 93 Chevy 35000 Dullay w/ a 454TBI and it sucks. It sucks towing up hills.... about 45mph, It sucks gas about 7mpg towing.

I'm looking at the new '02 Dodge Ram Ext.Cab 4X4 with 5.9L Gas with a towing capacity of 8,250lbs. Who has actually towed with one??????

Thanks

I have a 2000 Dodge Ram Ext.Cab 4X4 with 5.9L Gas , I get about 9.5 mpg towing. Going to trade for a diesel this summer. I think you are better off going with an older diesel than a new gas, and it will be CHEAPER!

I tow with a 2001 Cummins and I NEVER get over 12 mpg towing :(

This last tank was the first EVER I had used the entire tank without towing and I got 18mpg.

If I had it to do over I would have a 6.0 gas Chevrolet with an Allison Transmission.

but I tow with a 97 360v8 dodge shortbed standard cab. It is a 4x4 with the auto tranny. Everyone said I would have tranny problems, so I dropped $50 to summit racing for the biggest damn tranny cooler they sell, added a 180deg thermostat to help out the stock "in radiator" tranny cooler, and it shifts like a champ. I get 12 mpg driving with a 1/2-1/2 mix of 75-85 on the highway, and sitting in town / stuck in traffic.

I get 7-8mpg towing my ranger with it, and it likes to downshift on the hills, but it does the job. It out pulled by buddy's expedition towing his truck on the hills, but that doesn't say a whole hell of a lot. My thought on the matter was, "I know my mileage will suck ass, but for the $17 THOUSAND that I am saving on the purchase price, I can buy a lot of fawkin gas" And besides, I ride a crotch rocket most days, and we all know the kinda mileage that gets.

I don't think it will be much better on gas when towing than your current big block truck is, but it will be about 50% better in town, especially if you can keep your foot out of it a little better than I do.

'97 Dodge 360, Auto, Ext Cab, 4x4. Towing my heavily mod Samurai and trailer (~4500 lbs). It handles weight great, but the wind drag will kill you. Got caught in a wind storm going to Arizona eariler this year. Set my foot at 2/3 throddle and did over 300 miles at 45-50 MAX accross NM, only letting up to get gas :). Got 8 mpg. In normal weather I get about 9, but when I'm following the rest of the group pulling with Diesels I can get 10-11 (gotta slow down and wait for them to come up the hills :p ), never have to use more than 1/3 throddle following them...

Selling the Dodge, just bought a 2001 GMC w/ 496 and Allison 5 speed. I can set the cruse at 75 and it never drops below 72! Gas milage isn't any better though.... :)

KRCruiser, 5500-6500' HA I leave Denver at that height. The two passes we cross are 10600+' each. If you boys are happy with your 5.9's pulling then you have never pulled anything with a BBC because they will run circles around that thing and get better gas mileage. I am getting 13.5 out of mine empty and Ken gets 14 empty and his will not get out of its own way. I go over the pass running 60+ with 3:73 gears passing the little rice burners while Ken is back there in 1st gear running 35-40. If that is all you want out of a pull vehicle then more power or should I say less power to you.:flipoff2:

Originally posted by wngrog

If I had it to do over I would have a 6.0 gas Chevrolet with an Allison Transmission.

I just towed for the first time this morning with my 2002 GMC with the 6.0. I was STUNNED at how good it did (not so much the extra power, but the suspension of a 2500HD KILLS compared to my old 1500). I love the truck.

BUT, IT DOES NOT COME WITH AN ALLISON TRANNY :D The 6.0 only comes with the 4L80E or NV4500. I've got that auto.

My dad has a '94 Ram 1500 with 3.55's & 265/75's and a 360. It's "okay" for towing, but he gets 8 mpg hauling a Jeep-sized load. That's the same I got with my '90 GMC 1500 with a TBI 350, but I was able to maintain speed slightly better on hills with the 350 than Dad does with the 360 (he claims that also as the 350-powered truck was his before he bought the Dodge).

One friend has a 2wd Ram 2500 with the 360/5-speed. He seems to do slightly better than my dad with the 360/AT - not mileage wise, but maintaining speed on hills.

Right now, the Dodge is the weakest tower in the 1/2 ton category. You might want to hold off until the new 2500's come out & get the new 5.7L engine. Should be much better.

And I also have to make a couple comments about towing with a 1/2 ton in general. First, it's anything but ideal. Don't let the tow ratings fool you. You WILL KNOW that you've got a load back there even if it's under 5,000 lbs. That was not the case for me with my 1-ton this morning ('cept when it downshifted on the hills). Second, I don't care if it's Dodge, GM, Ford, or Toy. Do NOT under ANY circumstances make any attempt whatsoever to tow a Jeep-sized vehicle while in overdrive with a 1/2 ton/automatic truck. You WILL trash your tranny. Maybe not today, or even next year. But, I can guarantee by 100,000 miles it'll be shot - probably by 50k.

TEX

Originally posted by TEX
Second, I don't care if it's Dodge, GM, Ford, or Toy. Do NOT under ANY circumstances make any attempt whatsoever to tow a Jeep-sized vehicle while in overdrive with a 1/2 ton/automatic truck. You WILL trash your tranny. Maybe not today, or even next year. But, I can guarantee by 100,000 miles it'll be shot - probably by 50k.
TEX

Hit the nail there! Anytime I pull with the Dodge, OD off is selected. That locks up the torque converted in 2nd, 3rd, and locks out OD. Otherwise you will roast that tranny!

The Allison is only availabe in the 3/4 & 1 ton. One nice note, there is a tranny oil temp gage in the dash, factory! :) Tow mode on the Allison does NOT lock out 5th! It changes the shift points, engages the TC lockup earlier, and activates the compression braking down-shifts! So, the GMC with 4.10's runs lower RPM at highway speed than the Dodge with 3.55's and OD off. Towing I got 8 mpg on the GMC running 75+ with the cruse set!

Okay I'm going to stay away from the 360, especially its the last production year of thet motor....says alot. The fleet manager told be the new 5.7L "hemi" is sopose to be bad ass, 100hp more and like 40lbs of more torque the the old 360. Unfortanally they wont be out for another year, and I have to wait till September for the new 2500, 3500 to come out :(

I guess my 454TBI has some problems going by how shitty it towed. Its got 134K on it and it probably needs a tune up + air intake and exaust to liven it up a bit.